


All The Colours of The Rainbow Included

by Cliffbreaker



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Broken Limbs, Chasing people with wheelchairs (Via Nico), Drew isnt so bad, F/F, F/M, First Kiss, Hobby finding, Lots of tears, Lotsa swearing sorry, M/M, Makeup, Multi, Nico is Hedge's favorite, Nico is a soccer dad, Oh no nicos a nerdy emo, Other, Rick can censor and dodge swearing like Disney can dodge federal laws, Shopping, Slow Burn Romance, Swimming, Trying out makeup, Violence with crutches (Via Nico), You actually think im going to tag every single character in this story dont u, but i am a bored teenage boy who knows that this is a fanfiction website, but shes still bad yo, geeking out, gossiping, just not as much, self discovery, theyre teenagers with minimal supervision exactly what do you expect?, wHALE GUESS WHAT SWEATY
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-31
Updated: 2017-04-22
Packaged: 2018-09-21 02:56:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9528788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cliffbreaker/pseuds/Cliffbreaker
Summary: Nico is bad at emotions, he's especially bad at dealing with his own. I mean, it's not like that's ever gonna matter anyway!Nico almost wanted to slap himself,he should know by now not to listen to himself, nothing that came out of his mouth was ever actually correct in the end anymore.





	1. Tree Falli'n

**Author's Note:**

> HEY! YOU'RE READING THIS SO DISCLAIMER!  
> I DONT OWN THE PERCY JACKSON SAGA OR ANYTHING THAT BELONGS TO RICK RIORDAN!  
> BUT YOU KNOW THAT  
> IF I DID OWN IT THERE WOULD BE SWEARING AND LOTS MORE GAY
> 
>  
> 
> (Do you get the song reference in the chapter title ^^)

In retrospect, Nico really has to learn when to understand when someone is totally bluffing. Lou Ellen didn't actually think he could climb that tree, she didn't even  _want_  himto climb that tree! You see, Nico had slipped out of the Infirmary an hour earlier, in the bustle of mid-day post-war infirmary work. He'd found Lou Ellen by the forest, attempting to climb this tulip tree so that she could carve something into it. A few moments later and a small trip back to the Earth on Lou's part, they were having a little spat. 

"Really now Di Angelo? You think you can climb this tree?"

He smirked coldly, the look sent a shiver down Lou's spine, one that she suppressed, but she could have sworn that he could smell fear. She furrowed her brows, "Fine then, five bucks says you make it to the top." Nico just raised an eyebrow. "And if I  _don't?_ "

It was Lou's turn to smirk. "Well, I get the five bucks then." Nico nodded. He rolled his shoulders in their sockets, cracking his knuckles. Nico placed his hands in a firm grip a ways up the tree, planting on foot into a groove on the trunk of the tree. He began to unsteadily climb up the trunk, like a sick panther. He got a couple feet up when Lou realized that he wasn't going to stop until he fell. Her smirk fell, shifting into a panicked expression. 

 

Nico was somewhere like ten feet above the ground when Lou began to chant his name frantically. He briefly wondered if a monster had come about, and then realized that he would have sensed another soul approaching. He looked down at her, she was waving her arms around and calling his name. Nico just ventured up further, but he missed a branch and lost his grip. He managed to grab another branch in time to steady himself, but it was too weak. It snapped under his hand, and in his shock Nico writhed. He fell backward, screaming out. Other weak branches snapped underneath his weight as he began a small descent to the Earth. One particularly hard branch however, once his arm connected with it's wood, pain ripped through his arm and he began to see spots in his vision, he screamed again, this time, in pain. The same happened to his leg, which had twisted in it's former grip to the trunk.

 

He watched the leaves close out the light from the open sky above him, in confusion. That was the last thing he remembered before hitting the Earth below him, and blacking out.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

When he re-awoke, Nico was startled to be in an un-familiar room that smelled like antiseptic. People bustled about outside the door to the room. Everything thing was annoyingly sore, his limbs burned around the arm and leg. Suddenly the events before now came back to him, and with a painful jolt in his bed, he angled to get a look at his body. His arm and legs were in blue casting. He was in a hospital gown, and this was obviously the infirmary. Nico groaned, of course he should end up back at the infirmary after sneaking out. One way or another the Fates led him back here. His Lycaon scratches burned. 

The door finally opened, a lime-haired girl with a narrow face and shy expression peeked in. He recognized her as a child of Apollo, Kayla Knowles. She burst in once they met eyes, he almost smiled reassuringly. But his expression turned sour when he saw who was behind her. 

Will Solace with a clipboard, slipping into the room with a blinding smile on his face. Nico's heart only almost stopped because he didn't want to see that asshole, of course. The blonde sat down in a chair beside Nico's bedside, as did Kayla. Nico sighed, "So what're you here to patronize me about?" He spoke roughly. Will just blinked, his smile unwavering. "As you can see, you broke an arm and leg, so before we leave we just wanted to check up on you." He tapped his clipboard with his pen thoughtfully. 

 

"Do you feel any pain currently? And soreness?" Nico nodded. "Where exactly is it?" He looked down at himself for a moment, "All around really, but mostly in my arm and leg." Will nodded, he seemed to get the gist. The blonde pulled out a bottle of painkillers from behind his back. "Now I can't legally give you anything stronger, and you're already on diluted Nectar and Unicorn draught, you have been since before this incident," He twisted open the cap and shook two pills out. "So I'll give you some of these, and whenever the pain gets to be too much, take two of these with water. But only if it gets to be too much, I don't want you becoming dependent on these." Will set the bottle on the stand beside the hospital bed. 

 

Will held out his palm with the pills in the center and Nico took them, when he put them in his mouth her ignored the sour taste. Will handed him a glass of water. Swallowing the pills, Nico sighed once they were down. He lowered his lids a little, fiddling with the hem of his blanket. Will jotted something down on his clipboard again, and Nico ignored Kayla blatantly staring at him. He had gotten used to the looks, after all. Will suddenly stood up, Kayla following his actions. Will spun around, smiling down at Nico. "And Nico, if you need to go to the bathroom, press your call button beside the bed, and also, you have a scheduled visitor in an hour." The blonde smirked lightly, closing the door behind he and his sister. Nico was left to play with the hem of the bedspreads, a scheduled visitor? In an hour? Who had found out that he'd fallen in such little time?


	2. Hello My Name Is

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who had found out that he'd fallen in such little time?  
> Percy Jackson, that's who.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello naughty children, its discourse time.
> 
> i apologize in advance.

Who on Earth had found out that Nico had fallen in such little time? Percy Jackson, that's who. Nico's first clue that there was a force to be reckoned with whirring through the infirmary like a rabid child, was when he heard the door to the infirmary swing open. The second was so subtle, he barely noticed it. Percy screamed his cousin's name at the top of his lungs. Nico briefly wondered if he could file a restraining order, and make sure that his Tasmanian-devil of a relative stayed at least four square miles away from him at any given time. Maybe Nico should get up and push a bookcase or a chair or something in front of the door, but his brain reasoned otherwise.  _"You know he's just going to Blastoise the freaking door down if you do, it's a waste of energy."_

He frowned at the door Percy was struggling to get into, didn't he know he could just twist the damn thing? Oh right, Nico seemed to have subconsciously locked the door using the shadows...No time to ponder anyways, as Nico reluctantly pulled back the darkness, Percy had managed to twist the doorknob. The son of Poseidon all but kicked open the door. Soon, a flushed and perspiring demigod was staring directly into Nico's blank gaze.

 

Percy was practically panting. "I heard you woke up and came running!" Nico opened his mouth to speak but-"Fuck! Nico! C'mere you shit!" He was engulfed in a crushing hug. Nico let out a noise of pain, Percy was crushing his broken arm and twisting his broken leg, a lot of the other demigod's body also draped over Nico. With the weight of that seventeen-year-old crushing a poor, meer fifteen-year-old, Nico hissed. "Get off me, you tortoise!" Percy leaped back like he'd been burned, grinning sheepishly. "Sorry, sorry, don't blame me." He looked down at Nico's arm, then his legs. The ravenete squirmed. 

  
"Uh, look, Percy-" Percy shook his head. "Sorry, again." Percy sighed. "So I heard you fell, you've been out a while." Nico furrowed his brows,  _A while?_ _How long?_ But he couldn't speak up. He felt a finger poke at his arm, "Hey!" He cried out in protest. Percy looked back at him through his eyelashes. Nico brushed his hand away and Percy pouted. "Stop that." He grumbled. "Does it, like, hurt? Are you good, 'n shit?" Nico rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I'm "Good 'n shit" Percy." He paused, staring at his arms. "Just burns a little, nothing I can't handle." Percy frowned at him.

 

Nico wanted nothing more than to hide under the blankets. Percy was supposed to be in New Rome, graduating last year or so, during the early stages of that whole Lester Papadapolous debacle. Why was he here? Surely the mighty son of Poseidon, hero of all, hadn't come here just for Nico? Annabeth had to be here. No, she was staying in New Rome too. Jason must have asked him for a visit! Nevermind, Jason was in Oregon...

"Huh" Nico muttered, a lot of the people he knew were gone. Leo and Calypso were on a quest with Lester, Jason was doing Pontifex things in Oregon. Reyna, Piper, Frank, and Hazel were in New Rome. He sighed, resting his head back on his pillow, looking up at the ceiling. He listened to Percy scavenge about the room like an excited puppy. He was saying things to Nico, but Nico just couldn't pay attention. Since when had he felt so empty about his friends leaving? Actually, nevermind that, since when did he consider them "friends"? 

"Nico" A voice cut through his thoughts. "H-huh?" He looked to his side at Percy. The son of Poseidon was smirking lightly at him, "I was talking to you, Nico. Were you listening?" Nico blushed a little out of embarrassment. "Ah, no, sorry..." Percy's smirk turned into a light smile. "I was saying that it's pretty light in here, Solace got you a nice room!" Nico nodded, trying for a weak smile. Percy frowned, stepping closer. "Hey, what's wrong? You seem distracted." Nico raised his eyebrows, was he really bad enough that Percy could notice? He felt a bit of cold shame wash over him, he hated being under Percy's gaze like that. He hated it when Percy acted like he cared, hated it when anyone read too much into the small actions that Nico made.

"No, I'm good. Might be whatever Solace gave me to help with the pain." Percy's eyebrows raised and Nico wanted to curse under his breath, he shouldn't have let that slip. "How much does it hurt?" Nico chuckled nervously, trying for positivity. "Nothing unbearable, Perce." Percy looked at him incredulously, raising an eyebrow. He was clearly unimpressed. "You're a bad liar, dude. I've broken legs before. Even then, when I had professional painkillers and after some weeks, it still hurt like a bitch." Nico looked down at his hands, he chewed his lower lip. Percy was right, his head was throbbing as they spoke. 

Percy's gaze turned soft, he sat on the edge of the bed, one hand on Nico's unhurt leg. Nico looked back up through his bangs. "You can't do that, you can't downplay how much it hurts just to make everyone else worry less. Annabeth was shaking when she got the news, I wasn't there, and she told me when I got home." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Annabeth and I, we...you're...." Percy's gaze burned holes into the door. "You're like our little brother, or our kid, if that's not weird." Percy was absent-mindedly squeezing Nico's leg, but Nico didn't speak, afraid to ruin the moment.   


"I remember you when you were ten, and everything after that. I didn't want you to pull the Athena Parthenos across to America, but I felt like I had drifted so far from you that I had no right to tell you what to do. I felt like I didn't know you anymore," Percy's green gaze shifted to meet Nico's eyes. "To be honest I still feel like I don't know you. But that's not to say that's a bad thing, you're a great guy." Nico wanted to cry but couldn't, he settled for clutching the blankets harder. He searched Percy's face for something that even he wasn't sure of. Percy just looked tired and euphoric, like he was picturing old memories. As Percy smiled tiredly at Nico's hands, Nico studied the older demigod's features. 

He looked like he hadn't shaved in a while, funny, Nico didn't have to shave yet. Ten-year-old Nico could have found that attractive, same with Percy's side swept hair. Ten-year-old Nico could have gawked at how pretty the son of Poseidon looked, 

Fifteen-year-old Nico just smiled. "Maybe if you don't think you know me anymore, we could start again?" Percy snapped out of his daze. "What?" Nico held out his hand, swallowing hard, but smiling hopefully. "I'm Nico Di Angelo, son of Hades. And you are?" Percy just stared at him. It was beginning to become a little tiresome for Nico, smiling that long. But Percy slowly shook his hand, like he was waking up from a long sleep. "Uh, yeah. Hello...I'm, uh, Percy Jackson. P-Perseus for long, er, son of Poseidon..." Nico smiled as brightly as he could in his tired state.

Percy seemed a little more comfortable. He smiled, "So, Nico, what do son's of Hades do in their free time?" Nico's smile lessened, but it was still there, somewhat shy. "Well that depends, what do sons of Poseidon like to do?"

Ten-year-old Nico would have followed Percy to the ends of the Earth,

Fifteen-year-old Nico has already been there, and left ten-year-old Nico far, far behind. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you heard me, i apologized!


	3. Patience For Patients

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maybe Will Solace cares.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, this is Solangelo, im not straying from the point here  
> https://imgflip.com/s/meme/Neil-deGrasse-Tyson.jpg

Nico got few visitors throughout the day, not that he cared. Being constantly harassed by the son of Apollo was enough for him. Will Solace was a handsy, stubborn, kind, infuriating, bright, and overall annoying guy. Nico just hated how he said things like "You're sleeping early today," or when he was nice and considerate. Just when he thought he had Solace pinned, just when he thought he knew what kind of person he was, the blonde went and did something completely different. What was even worse, and should be illegal in this strange game he played with Nico, was that Nico didn't actually hate being around him.

He didn't like this guy. Suspicion followed him everywhere. Nico knew nothing about him, and hopefully Solace didn't know anything about him either. But Nico suspected that the son of Apollo had, like, some sort of folder on everything about Nico somewhere. When Nico pushed a bowl of soup away after Solace turned his back, he frowned and shoved it back into his lap. Gods, it was like the blonde had eyes in the back of his head! 

 

Nico wanted to hate him, he really did. But it was so hard to do when Will put up with him so much. Like he was doing now. The blonde was crouched beside Nico's bed, smiling encouragingly at him. "C'mon, Neeks!" Gods knew Nico  **hated** that nickname. "You're getting better at eating, please at least  _try_ to get to the bottom!" Nico rolled his eyes. "Hah, I wouldn't dare. I'd sooner be spoonfed," Solace looked undeterred. Nico groaned and threw his head back on the pillow dramatically. Suddenly, a spoon was shoved in his mouth, he swallowed the soup, spluttering. "What the  _hell_ Solace!" Will just shrugged. "You said you'd 'sooner be spoonfed' so I tried it out." Nico rolled his eyes, scoffing. "Give me that." He snatched the spoon, but Will still smiled smugly. He'd won, after all. Nico shoveled spoonfuls into his mouth indignantly. Will rose from his knees once again, crossing his arms and smirking. "I'll leave you to that." 

Nico watched the nurse leave, he definitely didn't watch the way Will's hips swaggered. He definitely didn't want to call Solace back. He definitely didn't finish the soup, just to see the look on Solace's face when he came in next. No matter how many times he tried to tell Solace that he could easily send the blonde into the Tartarus for how roughly he treated him, but all he ever got back was a smile and a nod. "Sure, sure you can." Will always said. Gods how he riled Nico up! He promised himself that the next time he saw Solace, he'd smack him. For sure! It's not as though he'd never hurt someone before. So why did the idea of actually hurting the son of Apollo repulse him? Why did it make his gut twist?

 

He thought that the idea of hurting the son of Apollo came from the part of his brain that had told him to drive Bryce into the Earth, the same part that made him allow Octavian to be shot to his airborne-death. A primal part inside of him that wanted nothing more than to get revenge. Nico had never understood why he was named after Nike, he didn't stand for victory. He only did things to make up for his past mistakes, not because it was the right thing to do. I mean, sure, he did things because they were right, but what did  _he_ know of right and wrong? He'd only pulled the Athena Parthenos so far because no one else was available, and he'd been useless on that quest so far. 

 

But something in his mind told him that wanting to hurt Will was coming from somewhere different entirely. That it came from the same part of his brain that had been in full use since he was nine. His natural defense mechanism, the desire to recoil when he felt threatened. And in his mind's eye, Will was the most dangerous thing in his life. He seemed to shake up emotions that Nico hadn't felt for five years. He remembered wanting to appease Percy, make him proud or admiring of Nico. And whilst, as disgusting as it sounded to himself, he  _did_ find himself doing things to make Will happy, they were so small, and they actually helped him. When he'd done things for Percy, he'd got nothing in return. Doing things for Will got him smiles, kind, kind smiles. Ones that almost cleared Nico's chest, they didn't sweep him off his feet like Percy's. They made him feel at peace.

And when he joked, when he listened, when he spoke, he was rewarded. When he started to fill up more than he had over the year, he was rewarded. He was praised for the things that mattered when it came to Solace. Not for doing some terrible, backbreaking task to make Percy like him. Will didn't grimace at him, only frowned in disappointment. Not at Nico directly, just at what he was doing. And it honestly felt so nice to feel like not everything was his fault.

 

Nico remembered the period between now and the war against Gaia, when he'd thrown up more frequently after dinner Will had been there. As embarrassing as it was, when Nico was sick like this, he'd rather have Will around rubbing his back in slow circles until he felt better. He'd rather hear Will's soft murmuring than nothing at all. And Will never looked disgusted, rather, he seemed to be more intent on stopping the whole thing than complaining about it. You see, Nico obviously had developed something over time, apparently his stomach had shrunk. His newly shrunken stomach couldn't handle too much food, and when he forced himself to eat, it forced him back. For a time, Will had complained non-stop. That was until he started to gage just how serious it was,  _what_ it really was.

After the second time Nico threw up, Will barely mentioned his eating anymore. They had agreed to slowly introduce larger amounts of food over a long period of time. Will decided that Nico would have a strict diet of only the healthiest things he could put together as he introduced more food, because until the son of Hades could eat full meals, he wouldn't get enough sustenance from his current portions.

 

One July, Will introduced fruit popsicles. Nico liked those, he and Will sat on the dock at the camp beach as the fireworks went off. It was hot out despite it being dark outside. When New York got hot, it got  _hot_. Will had lent him a tank-top that Nico refused to wear around anyone but Will. To be truthful, Nico hated his body, and hated others seeing his body even more. In that moment, he turned his head and looked at Will. Will was only wearing red swim trunks. He discreetly studied the other's body, Will was lanky. He didn't get much weight-training like other demigods. He was covered in freckles and scratches, and band-aids and acne. When he slouched over, his stomach fat pooled. But he didn't seem to let it affect him. Will didn't seem to care that didn't look nice. Nico was envious.

  
Somehow, the fact that Will didn't care about how he looked just seemed to make Nico like him more in the end. He took one last look at his companion and smiled to himself. Maybe Will could teach him how to love his own body. Maybe Will could teach him how to care a little less about how people saw him. 


	4. Love, Percy<3

Nico sighed and shielded his eyes from the painfully bright sun. He'd been allowed to go outside and get some fresh air, so long as a nurse accompanied him. He now sat in a red lawn chair, watching young demigods pick weapons out for the first time. This was the first day of Percy's Summer Weapon Training Program. He'd been doing this for two summers now, and the white-columned arena had a messy and colourful banner hung above the entrance. It read, in sloppy rainbow letters, those exact words that Nico had said earlier, only with a silly smiling face painting off to the left of the sign. It had a tongue sticking out, and the whole thing had been Percy's idea. He said that it would make the class sound more inviting, less daunting. Nico argued that no one really cared, and it didn't take long before some late pre-teens campers broke out the spray paint. They had crossed out the eyes and squiggled the smile. Now it only resembled the emblem for Nirvana.

Someone slipped sunglasses over his eyes, and when he looked up, it appeared to be his current nurse, smiling down at him. Will had been careful not to touch Nico, and Nico was thankful for that. He looked back at the campers. A young, redheaded girl was staring admiringly at a silver sword. The volume of her hair reminded Nico of the human who often visited Camp, the Oracle, Rachel. But this girl's hair was more concentrated than Rachel's, more like an afro than a mop of curls. Nico touched a hand instinctively to his own hair at the thought. When he was younger, his hair shorter, it had been like an afro in itself. He had had bouncy curls that bounced back to his head when he pulled at a fist-full of them. 

When he'd started to grow his hair out, it was long and curly, and barely brushed, unlike Rachel's. And then puberty hit one year, it was during the Battle of Manhattan period of time. (He could tell because that was the year he started getting terrible acne) And his hair started to straighten out. He wasn't sure why, but from what he remembered, his sister Bianca had gone the same way when she had hit puberty a few years prior to him. To Nico, puberty was strange. Hades had shown him pictures of his mother, ones that he'd taken and ones she had given him. And according to the childhood pictures of her, his mother had curly hair, same as him. And then in the teenage pictures she didn't. And in the few before her death, she had short curls again.

 

Maria had apparently always said that it was because of her father, Nico's grandfather. Nico had apparently met his Nonno, in fact, before they fled fascist-Italy, he had lived with both his grandparents. Hades had never met them, he'd only started to make regular visits to Maria once they were in America. Back then, Hades had had a nice passageway to and from San Marino to America, as the tide of political power was switching from Europe to America. So curly hair ran in the family, big deal. Only, he dreaded to think how he'd keep up his serious aesthetic with a head full of curly locks, like Leo, especially if he kept his hair long.

 

Percy's class was ending now and said ravenet was bounding towards Nico. He sighed as Percy slowed down to a halt. "Whats shaking Nico?" He called out. Nico just shot him a bored expression, "Self-deprecation." He ran a hand through his hair, "Gods I wish I wasn't in this cast, I want to be up there, teaching." He stated with frustration. Nico was going to teach a class this summer until he broke his leg. Percy hummed in understanding. Nico didn't expect Percy to take a glance at his cast, and then whip out riptide. Nico and Will cried out in shock, staring at the golden sword just a few feet in front of them. Percy placed the cap to Riptide on the back, officially turning it into a pen. He stared expectantly down at Nico. "C-can I?" The older demigod stammered. Nico raised an eyebrow, he didn't know enough about modern traditions.

 

Percy frowned. "Can I sign your cast?" Nico raised his eyebrows but nodded nonetheless. He watched intensively at Percy's eyes as he watched the son of Poseidon crouch and begin to scribble something onto the cast. They were the thing he seemed to like the most about his friend. Percy had such amazing eyes, that gave you a million different, emotional looks. They had specks of blue in them, like the Earths the size of bouncy-balls. But when Will came back into view, Nico became distracted with another pair of eyes. Will's pale blue eyes caught his attention. They were like the bottom of a pool in the summer. Or the shallow waters of some tropical place. Instead of warm notes, Will had specks of white and lighter blue. In a way, Will's eyes were like the sky in suiting contrast to an Arizona desert. Nico wasn't ready to admit it yet, but as thin and wiry as he was, he found Will to be overall aesthetically pleasing if he could go so far as to say. Okay, he was lying, the healer was pretty. Nico had eyes. He could tell who was attractive and not.

Percy was kneeling now, writing something else on his leg cast. Nico raised an eyebrow. "So what is this that you're doing right now?" He inquired. Percy looked up through his eyelashes. "Hm? I'm signing your cast," Then he gave a small smile, "You should read what I wrote, get Will to look at it for you if you can't see." Percy winked before jogging off with a small cloud of dust at his feet. Nico angled his head to look at his casted arm, but it was too angular for him to see. He couldn't raise his arm to look either so he just sighed. "Will, what does it say?" 

The blonde obliged politely. He kneeled in front of Nico, and Nico ignored how close he was. He wanted to move away from Will's eyes as the son of Apollo carefully read the messy black writing. "Get better soon, hugs and kisses, Love Percy." He read. Nico grumbled at that. Will's gaze shifted lower, "I'm glad you can't kick me again because this is broken! With a bunch of hearts, and another 'Love, Percy'" Nico gave a puff of air. Will just snickered. "Ah, best friends." He joked, and Nico looked at him critically. Will raised an eyebrow. "What?"

  
Nico shook his head. "It doesn't matter, never mind." Will didn't look convinced. "Don't worry!" Nico tried again. Will just frowned deeper. Nico rolled his eyes. He took a deep breath. "Well, it's just...A-are we friends?" Will looked a little shocked. Nico continued. "Are we friends like that?" A look of understanding came over Will's face. He smiled sweetly. "Only if you want us to be friends, Nico." He grinned. Nico fought off a stupid blush, one that he hadn't even expected. Must be the heat of summer. "Uh, okay. Cool, friend..." Will just chuckled. Nico decided that he liked that small laugh.

Will opened his eyes again and rose to his feet, dusting himself off. "So, friend. What do you want to do now?" Nico pondered for a moment. "I don't know, how much time to we have left?" He asked thoughtfully. Will looked at his wrist-watch quickly. "About thirty minutes." Nico nodded slowly. "How about we go see Lou Ellen? She's usually practicing magic around now." 

Nico grabbed his crutches, and with a great deal of effort, he heaved himself upright. "Let's go." He motioned with his head forward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im sorry for the short chapter!!!!


	5. Only A Few Hearts Broken Pt 1

Lacy stood in front of the smaller boy, her hands covering her mouth. Tears threatened to fall from the corners of her eyes. Nico was doused in shimmery pink glitter, with his eyes squeezed shut, and teeth clenched. He coughed and pink glitter came off in dust waves. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry!" She babbled in a high pitch. Nico just sighed, coughing again. In contrast to Nico's state of frustration and Lacy's turmoil, Drew was snickering.

That snickering turned into giggling, and giggling turned into laughter. Soon, Drew was clutching her stomach and cackling madly at the son of Hades. "The look on your face!" She was gasping for air, pointing at him. "Priceless! I should have blackmailed her earlier if  _this_ is what it got me!"She wheezed. Lacy was close to sobbing now, she had already started crying. Nico turned his attention back to the babbling daughter of Aphrodite with a vaguely concerned expression on his face. He bit his lower lip, getting a bit of glitter on his teeth. "Hey, Lacy, It's okay." He tried. But Lacy wouldn't listen. She kept insisting that he send her to the Underworld for being a 'Horrible bitch'. 

Nico furrowed his eyebrows, he really couldn't deal with crying people. But he went with his instincts anyway. He placed a cool hand on her shoulder, causing her to look at him. He inwardly cringed, but sort of cringed on the outside, his reassuring smile becoming a little twisted.  _Gods, she looked awful._ Mascara was running all down her face in watery splotches, her lipstick pretty much completely rubbed off now. "I don't blame you." I tried for it, but she just sobbed harder. "No! Don't be nice! I just covered you and all your things in pink glitter!" Nico cringed fully now. "Y-yeah, I can see that...feel it too," He shifted a little, pulling his hand away and setting it back on the handle of his crutch. "I'm not even sure how it got down my shirt..." He sighed. Lacy sobbed even harder, burying her face in her perfectly manicured hands. 

 

Nico got back on track. "B-but that's no reason to cry about it! I mean, I-if you're really that sorry why don't you help me clean this up?" He gestured with his head to the rest of the front porch. Drew popped her gum bubble, catching Nico's attention. "Hey, if she gets to help you clean up your porch, can I help you clean yourself up?" She grinned, showing off her pearly white teeth and winking. Nico just scoffed at the Asian girl but blushed despite himself. "No" He spat. Lacy was wiping her eyes with her fuzzy pink sweater sleeves. "What do I use to clean this up with?" She hiccuped. Nico looked back at her, the corners of his mouth quirking up. "Try a broom for the most part, and a dustpan, anything left we'll just mop up." She began to walk back down the steps, hiccuping. Drew shifted all her weight onto one hip and crossed her arms. 

 

"Y'know I bet you'd let Will get the glitter off of you, since you let him do just about anything to you." She snarked. Nico raised an eyebrow. "Where'd you get  _that_ idea?" He spoke inquisitively. She rolled her eyes. "You let him grab you, hold you, pet you." Nico scoffed. "Why is that a problem?" Drew popped her bubble again. "Because when you're with anyone else, you're all closed off." Nico frowned at that. Drew walked back up the steps, towards him. She made a motion to grab at the hem of his shirt and he jerked backward. She looked back up into his eyes. "What? I was gonna shake the glitter of your shirt!" She spoke in defense. Nico shot her a sour glare, not his signature one, but enough to make her cross her arms and sigh. "Ugh, whatever. You're such a prude, bro. It's not like I'm gonna rip your shirt off." She stuck out her lip. "I mean, you're like, skinny or whatever. I'd sooner make out with my brother Mitchell than see  _you_ with less than five items of clothing on." Nico gaped at that. 

"I-I'm not!- How dare-" He sputtered, and Drew snickered again. "But I bet you wish  _Will_ would want to see you without a shirt." Drew seemed to know how to push buttons because Nico was practically quivering with unveiled rage. She lowered her voice a little. "Isn't that right, "Neeks"" Nico gasped. Drew cackled, "I can practically  _smell_ the desperation coming off of you when you so much as  _think_ about him!" She seemed to be having a grand old time. 

To Nico, this was worse than being boiled alive. Drew  _knew_ , she  _must_ know. She _had_ to know that Nico was gay! Something must have shown on his face, because Drew calmed down a little. "Relax, relax, I was only joking around. I know you're straight, and probably just obsessive." She waved a hand at him. Nico looked taken back, he began to fidget nervously, glancing around the cabin at anything but her face. "Y-yeah, I'm straight." His voice wobbled a little, betraying him. Drew just raised an eyebrow. "Uh, okaaay..." Then she looked down at his torso and cringed. "Ew, you're sweaty." Nico rolled his eyes. "Yeah, now let me go in my cabin and shower." Drew smirked, "Mind showing me how to get clothes off whilst wearing a cast?" She spoke flirtatiously.

"No" Nico deadpanned, before stepping inside the cabin and slamming the door shut in her face. Drew pouted, "Oh c'mon Di Angelo! Lighten up a little!" She whined. "Go away!" His muffled voice called from inside the cabin. Drew rolled her eyes and sighed, "Worth a shot." She frowned, swiveling around and grabbing a broom.

~~~~~

When Nico got out of the shower and got into some fluffy gray towels, he slipped his hands into the hand holds of his crutches and hobbled over to the door. He spared a hand and leaned onto his side, grabbing and twisting the doorknob. When he opened the door, Nico was greeted with an afternoon breeze, and two girls chattering idly on his porch. They were still there, scrubbing glitter of off the railing and mopping up the dark wood. Honestly, he was impressed, but he'd never let  _Drew_ know that. Both girls seemed to suddenly acknowledge his presence. Lacy smiled weakly at him, "There you are." She spoke in a small voice. Nico hummed in response. Drew was snickering, and Nico shot her a look. "What're  _you_ laughing about?" He frowned. 

Drew gestured to his body, "Why do you wear your towel like that?" She grinned. Nico looked down and rolled his eyes. "Oh, I see." He sighed through his nose. Lacy smiled a little stronger at him over her shoulder. "I think it's modest, the way you're wearing that." She reasoned. Drew pressed her lips into a line. " _I_ think it's  _prude_." She gagged. "Just like  _him_." Nico pouted and glared. She poked a finger at his chest. She looked back at Lacy, ignoring Nico's sound of protest. She looked back at him.

"Hey, we're done now, can I go?" She pleaded. Nico was glad for the change of subject. "Of course, Lacy too." The blond smiled shyly back at him, clutching her broom and slinking down the steps. Nico relaxed a little, "Hey!" He called out. The girls looked over their shoulders. Nico tilted his head a little, "Thanks for the help you two, you're forgiven for earlier!" Lacy smiled. Drew just flipped her hair and kept walking. He saw the two girls converse quietly after a little bit. A part of him wondered what they were talking about, especially when he saw Drew's eyes cast behind her, meeting his gaze for a moment.

He tried to smile, something he didn't do often, so it was wonky and Drew snorted. The smile fell from his face immediately and he felt a wave of hot shame coarse through him, a familiar feeling. The brunet slipped back into his cabin without another word to retire for the night, exhausted by social interraction. 


	6. Only a Few Hearts Broken (pt 2)

Nico felt a pair of eyes on the back of his neck when he started to hobble through the grass, away from the campfire at the end of sing-along. He felt almost hopeful, although he won't admit it, as he cast a glance over his shoulder. Instead of pale blue eyes, he met deep brown ones close behind him. He knew that skeptical gaze anywhere, "Tanaka," He greeted unenthusiastically. Nico felt the small ball of hope dampen and squash in the pit of his stomach, leaving him oddly annoyed. The demigod previously mentioned fixed him with a hard gaze, frowning.

"Hey, asshole," He scoffed at her, "I forgot to say something to you yesterday." She spoke in a nasal tone. He raised an eyebrow, slowly adjusting his crutches in the damp grass with a small thud. He now faced her without having to crane his neck, rolling a shoulder to relax the muscle. "Alright," He spoke in a more hushed tone. Now that he faced her head on, she seemed to grow un-confident, shifting in place a little. Drew couldn't quite look at him in the eye. Nico prepared to open his mouth and cut through the awkward silence, but she found her nerve. "I...I kind of need your help," She met his eyes. "And I know what I can help you with in return if you help me first." The young Asian clasped her small hands together. 

In that moment he lost his anger slowly like the plug pulled on a drain. What was once annoyance was replaced by a sudden contentment and curiosity. "You want  _my_ help?" He cocked his head slightly as if seeing her from another angle would make her proposition make sense. She didn't look up, annoyance flashed on her face as she picked at a cobalt nail on her hand, the paint chipping. Nico doubted that was good for her manicure but he didn't speak up. "S'not like I asked you to carry a ten-foot whale," Her hands flew down to her sides and she looked up at him pleadingly. "Just say you'll help me! I really need this!" She whined loudly. Nico wished he had full mobility at the moment so he could cover her mouth, she was getting  _too loud_. "Okay! Okay! But why  _me?_  What can  _I_ do?" He grimaced.

But she didn't take it. "You can do what I ask that's what!" He snorted at that. She started to clench her fists at her sides, "You're the only one who doesn't have a whole lot of ties around this camp and doesn't gossip!" He raised an eyebrow at that. "Who says I don't gossip?" He said incredulously. She spoke on as if she hadn't heard him. "I mean you, like, don't have friends 'n shit, and-" "Hey!" "-You barely talk to anyone at lunch," She paused in her rambling, a sly grin growing on her face. "Well, except for Solace. Speaking of Solace and you," She breathed in bracingly. 

"Can you ask Will to get my a date with his brother Austin?" She widened her eyes pleadingly, like a puppy, or a small child. Nico just stood there in contemplation for a moment. He blinked at her, the words sinking in. When they registered, she was still batting her false eyelashes at him and pouting. "W-wha...?" He began to slowly lean to his left as he ran a hand through his bangs. "You...You want me to help you get a date? With Austin?" She grinned and that and leaned closer, nodding excitedly. "So you'll do it?" Her eyes sparkling. He raised an eyebrow incredulously. "And what makes you think I'd do that?" He deadpanned. 

Her wide grin snapped back elastically. Now she pouted once more. "What? Aw, cmon!" She whined quietly, her hands clasped to her clavicle. Nico shrugged as best he could with his hands back on his crutches. "Why would I? You still haven't told me what I get in return, and why would  _I_ of all people know Austin well enough to ask him to date you?" She looked unbelieving. "You hang around the Apollo cabin daily and nightly. I mean, you  _would_ if the harpies didn't roam at night," She whispered it as if it were an obvious fact, but Nico just couldn't relate. "But I don't! At least not  _willingly_ ," Drew huffed and crossed her arms, "Can we just get back to the subject?" Nico rolled his eyes and sighed. "Okay, fine, whatever, I'll  _try_." Drew squealed and bounced on her heels. Chiron looked in their direction from where he sat speaking with a camper, and Nico hissed and propelled himself a little further away from her. Drew stopped the commotion in an instant, but a huge smile still split her product-caked face. 

Nico grumbled under his breath a little until Drew's smile softened into a strangely normal smile, almost a thankful one. "Nico, you literally have  _no_ idea how much this means to me, you don't even know how long I've been staring at him for!" "I don't want to know..." He muttered. "I would  _die_ if he said yes!" "Is that a good thing?" He spoke up, an eyebrow raised slightly. She nodded enthusiastically. Nico shrugged. "Alright, well, you still haven't told me what I'll get in return." Drew dropped her hands to her sides again, but still smiled nevertheless. "That's a secret, it's nothing bad." Nico bit his lip, looking taken back, "That doesn't put me at ease." He spoke, his tone wary. 

She waved her hands as if she was clearing smoke, "I said it's okay so it's okay,  **okay**?" Drew smiled dismissively. Suddenly, Nico was glad he wasn't in the same cabin with her, he knew he wouldn't stand a chance not ripping her head off her shoulders after a week of demands. Nico sighed dramatically and ran a hand through his hair. "What have I gotten myself into..." He muttered under his breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Think I should start updating this on Sundays?


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